Fisherman Rowing His Boat On Inle Lake In Myanmar At Sunset Using His Leg and with a conical fishing net on his boat.

A Fisherman rows his boat using his leg on Myanmar's Inle Lake

Inle Lake is a large shallow lake in Myanmar where the fisherman are famous for using conical nets and rowing their boats with one leg. Inle lake is the setting for Amy Tan's novel, Saving Fish From Drowning. As I have been to Inle lake several times I can attest that her novel is chillingly accurate. Myanmar, apart from the detestable junta, is an amazing place to photograph. Of all the places in the world I have been, I think Burma (as it was formerly known) offers the best photography. You can't turn around without seeing some wonderful scene. The people are warm and friendly, the culture welcoming and the landscape splendid for picture taking. Also, this image can be a concept image. It is about small business, skill, balance and global business.

How To Shoot Great Travel Photography and Stock Photos That Sell

Shooting great travel photography involves, among other things, getting unusual angles, taking advantage of the best light, and paying careful attention to composition. This image works well because of the wonderful evening light, the extremely wide angle lens close the the action, the angle from right down on the water, and a composition that allows for ample body copy and or headlines...a definite plus when it comes to creating stock photos that sell. The image can work cropped for a magazine cover or as a spread. Hey, and most important of all,I got a model release. In today's stock picture environment it is essential to get model releases of every identifiable person in the scene. It sets the professionals apart from the non professionals!

A Tip For Getting Great Travel Pictures

Part of what makes this photograph successful is that we asked for it. There were three of us photographers together and we had our guide approach some fisherman and ask them to fish near us so that we could get the pictures. We paid them a small amount for their time. They were happy and we were happy. It would have been impossible to get images like this without having them come close to us and fish in the area that worked best for us. Remember, it never hurts to ask!